Look beyond the first explanation
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
The next two events suggested a correlation between the number of reminder messages and recorded attendance, but the schedule had changed too. A nearby community gathering was an extrinsic influence that might have brought more people past the library on one evening. The busiest session had also used the smallest room, a counterintuitive result for members who expected capacity alone to predict turnout. Priya asked them to distinguish an observed relationship from an explanation of why that relationship appeared.
The correlation was worth noticing, yet it did not isolate the effect of reminders from the other changes. The group listed possible extrinsic influences, including nearby activities and the weather on each evening, before choosing what to examine next. The counterintuitive room result prompted a useful question about timing rather than a rule that smaller rooms attracted larger audiences. Their next notes would describe the setting more consistently so later comparisons had a clearer account of what had actually differed.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.